29
Spring 2014
Escarpment Magazine
Beesmakemore than honey-
they are key to foodproduction because they pollinate crops.
FACT: a thirdof the food that weeat depends onpollinating insects. Since the late1990s however, bee-
keepers around theworldhaveobserved themysterious and suddendisappearanceof bees, and report
unusuallyhigh ratesof decline inhoneybeecolonies.What’sgoingon?
Manypeoplebelieveamajor threat tobees comes from the toxicchemical pesticides used inagriculture.
Several pesticides are consideredas real bee-killers, especially theones from the chemical group called
the “neonicotinoids”.Neonicotinoids can causeacuteand chronicpoisoningwithdeadly consequences
for individual beesandentirecolonies.
Last fall Iwascontactedabout thisdeadlysituationbyLindy Iversenwhospearheadedanemail campaign
to the federalMinisterofHealth,Hon. RonaAmbrose
andMarion Law,
)Co-Chairof thePestManagementRegulatoryAgency (PMRA) regarding thebanning
of theneonicotinoid familyof chemicalsbeingusedoncorn, soyandcanola seeds.
In response to theemail I sent, I receiveda letter dated January6, 2014 fromRichardAucoin, Executive
Director,PestManagementRegulatoryAgency,HealthCanada.Mr.Aucoinexplained thathisdepartment
isworkingwithScientists fromuniversitiesandother organizations suchas regulatoryagencies in theU.S.
andEurope todetermininewhether neonicotinoidpesticides are contributing topollinator declines. Inter-
estinglyhowever,Mr.Aucoin thengoeson to state, “With respect to recent honeybeemortalities reported
inOntario,Quebec andManitoba, theDepartment isworking closelywith growers, beekeepers, seed-
treatment facilities, seeding equipment manufacturers and the pesticide industry todevelop strategies to
protectbees fromexposure toneonicotinoiddustgeneratedduringplantingof treatedseed.HealthCanada
willwill alsobeexpediting the re-evaluationof neonicotinoid insecticides incollaborationwith theU.S. En-
vironmental ProtectionAgency.” Ibelieve thismeans, they’re followingEurope’s leadand taking theques-
tionof neonicotinoidusagequite seriously. Postedonhc-sc.gc.cayouwill now find:
”New 2014 requirement -
When using a seed flow lubricant for planting corn or soybean seed treated with neonicotinoid insecticides
clothianidin, thiamethoxam or imidacloprid, only the Fluency Agent by Bayer CropScience is permitted to minimize the potential for abrasion
that produces insecticidal seed dust. Talc and graphite are not permitted to be used as a seed flow lubricant for corn or soybean seed treated
with these insecticides. Carefully follow the use directions providedwith the Fluency Agent by Bayer CropScience.”
What todo?
Get involved!
Contact:
MinisterofHealth,
TheHonourableRonaAmbrose,
What todo?
Attractbees to
yourgarden!
Avoidpesticides&addbee-friendly
plants: Batchelor’sButton, Borage,
Sunflowers, Basil, Oregano, Russian
Sage, Aster, Coneflower, Cosmos,
Dahlia, Lavender, Foxglove, Chives,
Pumpkin, BeeBalm
Bees– including the
managedhoneybees,
togetherwithmany
wildspecies–are
thepredominant and
mosteconomically
importantgroupof
pollinators inmost
geographical
regions.
~Greenpeace
InJanuary2013, theEuropeanFoodSafetyAuthority
stated thatneonicotinoidsposeanunacceptably
high risk tobees, and that the industry-sponsored
scienceuponwhich regulatoryagencies' claimsof
safetyhave reliedmaybe flawed. Astudyby Italian
researchers, publishedby the ‘Proceedingsof the
National AcademyofSciencesof theUnitedStates
ofAmerica’ onOctober21, 2013, demonstrated that
neonicotinoidsdisrupt the innate
immunesystemsof bees,making
themsusceptible toviral infections
towhich thebeesarenormally resistant.
On29April 2013, 15of the27EuropeanUnionmemberstates
voted to restrict theuseof threeneonicotinoids for twoyears
from1December2013.
Environmentalistscalled themove"asignificant victory for
commonsenseandourbeleagueredbeepopulations"and
said it is"crystal clear that there isoverwhelmingscientific,
political andpublicsupport foraban."
BayerCropScience,whichmakes twoof the threebanned
products, remarked"Bayer remainsconvincedneonicotinoids
aresafe forbees,whenused responsiblyandproperly...
clearscientificevidencehas takenaback-seat in
thedecision-makingprocess."
Now, they’vechanged their tuneand
havecomeupwithanew ‘fluency
agent’ to “Minimize thepotential
forabrasion.”
at risk
